Knockdown shipping container



any 22 i924. L

4 J. J. CAIN KNOCKDOWN SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Jan. 25. 192s 2 shemsheet 2 Fig 2' i L t TFGENEK Patented July Z2, 1924.

.'oHN J. GAIN, or BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY.

KNOCKDOWN SHIPPING CONTAINER.

Application led January 23, 1923.y Serial No. 614,396.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, JOHN J. GAIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bayonne, county of Hudson, State of New J ersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knockdown Shipping Containers, of which the following isa speci fication.

The object of this invention is to provide a shipping container of three pieces of sheet metal only, in barrel or other desired form, adapted to be shipped to the place of use in knockdown condition, theform of said parts being such as to admit of close nesting or packing in bundles to reduce shipping eX- pensesto a minimum. l

Another object is to so form the three parts that they may be quickly assembled ready to receive articles of hardware or other merchandise to be shipped, securely 'enclosed and fully protected at all times and under all transportation conditions.

A salient feature of the invention is to avoid the use of extraneous or loose securing devices in the assemblage of the sheet metal containers; thisis provided for by forming one or more of the three parts with tongues or other fastening means, preferably integral therewith, adapted to be quickly andeasily set to lock the meeting edges of and the three parts of the container securely together, thus, besides reducing cost of manufacture, greatly facilitating putting the parts together.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1, shows in elevation, a cylindrical sheet metal barrel made according to this invention, with parts broken away to more clearly show details of construction.

Fig. 2, is an end view of the barrel showy in the parts duly assembled.

zrFig. 3, represents a sheet metal blank, adapted to form the body of the barrel, with the locking or fastening devices integral therewith, ready to be rolled or otherwiseV shaped into cylindrical form. p

Fig. 4, is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 4, 4, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5, is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 5,45, Figs. 1 and 2. Y

Fig. 6, is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5, showing a modification in the fastening tongues.

Fig. 7, is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing a modification in the fastening tongues.

Fig. 8, is a fragmentary section taken on the line 8, 8, Fig. 1.

Fig. 9, is a section taken on the line 9, 9, Fig. 1. y

Fig. 10a, is a fragmentary section, similar to Fig. 4, showing a modification in the formation of the head holding tongues.

Fig. 11a, is a face view of the same, and:

Fig.k12a, is a view similar to Fig. 10a, showing another modification.

From the foregoing, elucidated by the following description of the drawings, it is evident that the principles of construction of the invention maybe applied to forms of containers other than cylindrical barrels shown, as for instance rectangular boxes, polygonal sided receptacles, &c.

Referring to Fig. 3, the rectangular blank of sheet metal 10 is of a size to form the body of a barrel, its length being sufficient to provide overlapping meeting edges 11 and 12,l at the verticalv seam, see Fig. 1; one of said edges, as 11, has tongues or fastening lugs 13, cut, stamped or otherwise formed init, which are bent up after the blank sheet has been cylindrically formed, as by a rolling process, the other edge is provided with slots 14, which are causedto embrace 13, when in raised or right angular position, as shown at 15, Fig. 1; the other lugs 13 in Fig. 1 being shown iiattened down against the edge lap 12 of the body, also clearly shown in Fig. 8. To further insure good locking connection at thisseat it is proposed, when the slots are made to force up one of their sides into pocket form, as at 16, leaving openings sufficiently wide for the free entrance of the lugs 13 therethrough, as shown at the central part of Fig. 1 the resulting ridges being preferably forced down tightly against the bends of the lugs 13, see the lower connection in Fig. 1, also indicated at Fig. 8, thus closing the slots to make such parts of the container water tight.

To add rigidity to the body 10, beads 17 may be rolled longitudinally in it when Vit is cylindrically formed, and short'coacting beads 18 may be formed in the edges 11 and 12 to assist in holding the body in rolled condition. These coacting beads may be made, and preferably, when the lugs and may in some cases be provided with a suitable number of fastening tongues 19, formed by cutting away the sheet metal between them, as shown in Fig. .k These ytongues are bent or folded down against the body 10, preferably before or when the blank is rolled into shape, as seen at two places in Fig. 3, and at the lower right hand corner of Fig. 1. y

To further assist in holding the overlapping edges together notches 20 are cut in the longitudinal edges at one end ,of the blank, as edge 12, and lips 21, are formed-at the other end of the blank by nicks 22; these lips are bent over the notches, as shown in Fig. 1 and the sectional view Fig. 5.

The heads 23 have peripheral flanges formed at right angles to their flat body portions by reverse cupping or folding of the metal, providing annular spaces or channels between Vthe inner and outer walls 24 and 25 of the flanges. r These channels seat over the end edges of the body 10 when the parts are'assembled; the heads being then held securely in place by bending Vthe' tongues 19, whether formed as in Figs. 4:,

. 6, 7, 10a or 12a, Vagainst the outer walls 25,

over the bends of and inwardly against the inner walls 2 4 of the channeled flanges, as clearly shown in vthe detail sectional views of the drawings.

VThis double wall 'construction of the. I

flanges of the vheads provides the barrel with strong rigid chimes capable of resisting rough usage.

To facilitate applying the heads tothe bodies the outer walls 25 of the flanges'ar'e of less depth than the inner walls 24, which extend from the fiat portions 23 by well defined rounded corners, thus permitting the inner Aflanges ofy the heads to be easily slipped into the vbody and the hollow or channeled flanges set over the edges of the same.V

rilhe flat portions of the heads may be stiffened by beads or ridges 26.'

In some cases the fastening tonguestmay be formed and bent overthe flanges 24-25 of the heads as shown in Fig.y 7, by cutting the tongues down in the edges of the blank 10, a distance equal to the depth of the outer walls 25 of the head flanges, said tongues being bent outwardly and against the outer and inner walls of the flanges as before described. The blank 10 will thereby be reduced vin'width about equal to twice the depth of the flanges ofthe heads, vand, to that extent make 4a saving of the metal used inthe body portions.

The. metal cut away from the lips 21 may be left` thereon and utilized to afford fastenings for holding the heads on the body, by bending thisaddition to thelips around the flanges, as shown at Fig. 6'. Y

VCertain articles and merchandise require body.

ybent outwardly and folded around the walls 25 and 24 of the flanges, as beforedescribed; this leaves Ventilating openings 28 at both ends of the barrel. The'blanks will by this method of `construction be reduced to minimum width. This minimizing of the blanks mayalso be accomplished by using strips of'metal to act as tongues, applied to and secured to the end edges of the body in any suitabley manner, as for instance by making slotsV 30, at the chime line, throughA which the strips are passed with their inner endsl bent up to lie against the inside ofthe` chime and folded over the edges, as shown in Fig. 12a; the part of the tongues 29 extending 'outside the body is folded around the double wall chime, as before set forth. In shipping the partsvknocked down the body'portions will be in rolled form with their vertical edges free, and they have sufficient resiliency to permit a number of them being placed within one another; the heads 23 will nest closely togetherV as the annular spaces of the flanges are somewhat flaring.

It will be observed that the end edges orV chimes of the container consist of4 three Y pieces of sheet metal, and are consequently very strong; the heads'may lbe securedto the vbody-portions by indenting the compound chimes, which may be done by a rolling process or by Vmeans of specialv tools; but the use of tongues or lugs of'this invention fis thought preferable as fastening means for knock-down containers from a manufacturing viewpoint and for the reason that the parts may be quickly and easil assembled and the merchandise enclose by unskilled labor. f f v I cla-im:

1. A knock-down shipping container, consisting of .a body portion and j two head pieces having peripheral upturned flangesY reversely folded to `form annular channels,

adapted to receive the ends of the bodywhen set upready for use and tongues at the endsl of the body adapted to foldV against the outer side wall over the upperpart of and downwardly against the inner wall of the flanges of the heads to secure them to the 2.' A container, comprising a body portion of sheet metal, rolled or formed into Vshapel and having at its meetingV edges coasting fastening devices integral therewith, a head for each lendof the body havinga peripheral turned upy flange reversely folded to form an annular channel into which an end-- of the body is seated and tongues integral with the body adapted to be folded over the flanges to hold the heads on the body.

3. A container, comprising a body portion of sheet metal, rolled or formed into shape and having at its meeting edges coacting fastening devices integral therewith, a head for each end of the body having a peripheral turned up flange reversely folded to form an annular channel into which an end of the body is seated and tongues at the end edges of the body adapted to be folded over the up turned flanges and secure the heads to the ends of the body.

t. A container comprising a body portion of sheet metal rolled or formed into shape with its meeting edges overlapping,

lugs formed in one of the laps, coacting slots made in the other lap by slits cut therein with one of the sides pressed into ridge form, said lugs passing through the slots and folded down against the slotted lap and the ridges pressed down and against the bends the lugs to close the gaps of the slots, heads having peripheral flanges adapt ed to seat in the ends of the body and tongues integral with the body adapted to Ifold over the flanges of the heads to securely hold the parts together.

5. A container comprising a body portion of a single piece of sheet metal rolled or formed into shape and having at its meeting edges coacting fastening devices integral therewith, a head for each end of the body having a peripheral turned up flange reversely folded to form an annular channel Y into which an end of the body is seated, the outer wall of the channel being of less depth than the inner wall to facilitate applying the heads to the body and tongues at .f

the end edges of the body adapted to lfold over the up-turned flanges of the heads.

6. A container, comprising a body portion of sheet metal rolled or formed into shape with its meeting edges overlapping, notches formed in the ends of one of the overlapping edges and lips formed at the ends of the other overlapping edge by slits made in the end edges of the body, said Vlips being fold erl in and over the notches, lugs formed in one of the laps, coacting slots in the other lap, ridges at one side of the slots formed by said sides being pressed outwardly, said ridges being pressed down against the bends of the lugs to close the slots after the lugs are passed through the slots and folded against the face of the slotted lap, heads having peripheral up-turned flanges adapted to seat in the ends of the body and tongues at the end edges of the body folded over the flanges of the heads. f

7. A container comprising a body portion of a single piece of sheet metal rolled or formed into shape and having at its meeting edges coacting fastening devices integral therewith, a head for each end of the body having a peripheral turned up flange reversely folded to form an annular channel into which one end of the body is seated, tongues formed integral with and at the end edges of the body, initially folded down Y against the body,l and, with the channelled flanges of the heads seated over the ends of the body, bent up along the outer wall around the connecting bends and down against the inner walls of the flanges.

Signed at New York, county and State of New York, this 19th day of January, 1923.

JOHN J. GAIN. 

